Timeline of Blindness
by NekoIllustrations
Summary: Summary of Itachi's life before he died.
1. Chapter 1

**Birth**

Twenty-one years ago, a joyous event occurred. A nervous, yet still excited, ninja dashed though the streets of Konoha, aiming for the hospital. He burst through the doors and approached the reception desk, panting he told the nurse his name and who he was looking for.

"Can…you…tell…me…what…room…?"He gasped.

"Room 137, sir" the nurse replied.

The man was off again, speeding his way toward the designated room. He threw open the door and saw the slightly shocked face of his beautiful wife. When he noticed her shock turn into a proud smile, he looked down and saw what, or rather who, she was holding in her arms. He grinned broadly.

"Mokoto," Fugaku kissed his wife softly on the cheek, resting his hand gently on the head of his new-born son.

The door opened again and the room became flooded with people, all of them members of the Uchiha clan's military police. Fugaku grinned at them and held up his son.

"Guess what everyone, I'M A FATHER!!"He boomed proudly.

All the guests began congratulating him at once, until one burst out "boy or girl, captain?"

"Boy."

"What's his name" another cried.

Mokoto's soft voice rose above the noise.

"Itachi."

**Age 4**

I was training in an isolated patch of forest when night fell and I became painfully aware that I was alone. I had been practicing my taijutsu so that one day I could grow up to be a great ninja, like my father, and defend my village from our enemies. Even at so young an age, I knew we were in the middle of a war and that it was dangerous to be out alone. I had started running back home through the main street when I heard screaming in the distance, enemies.

I retraced my steps and took a short cut through the forest instead. Ran on and on, without stopping until I came to the park where father and I spent our, actually it was more like his, free time together.

I froze.

The park was scattered with bodies, some newly dead, others already beginning to decay. Unfortunately, the enemies in the park had already seen me. I stood, unable to move, and watched as the killed their last victims right before my eyes. Tears holding my fear, anger, hatred, and sadness began raining down my face as they approached me. I tried to move, but my legs had gone numb. They looked at me closely, I could see their forehead protectors glinting in the moonlight, they were from Iwagakure. The two of them stared at me, noticing that I was shaking. Cruel smiles crossed their faces.

"Hey, kid, why're you out here so late at night?"The taller one said.

"Yeah, you're all alone aren't you?"Said the other.

I swallowed hard, I was terrified, I had no idea had to get out of this situation.

Two sharp thuds, the men fell, kunai lodged in both their backs. The next thing I knew I being carried home by my father.

The rest of the night was a blur of my mother's tears and hugs, my father's lectures on why it was dangerous to be out alone at night and how it was a miracle I was alive, and my quiet acceptance of it all. After I went to my room, I lay awake pondering the events in the park, my first war experience. I arrived at two conclusions: war is hell, and I never want to see it again.

**Age 6**

Fugaku was dashing toward the hospital once again, but he wasn't alone. Itachi was jogging alongside him, keeping up with ease. The six-year was already being acknowledged as an extraordinary child. Because of this, Fugaku had started training his son, honing his skills in taijutsu and ninjutsu; he would wait on genjutsu until the boy had activated the sharingan. However, now was not the time to think of such things, Fugaku had more pressing things to worry about.

They entered Mokoto's hospital room to see her familiar proud smile. Itachi ran over to the bed and saw his baby brother's sleeping face. He smiled, warmly.

"What's his name?"

"Sasuke."

He's so small, Itachi thought. He smiled again and thought of all the ways he'd help his little brother and teach him. He was going to be the ideal older brother. He would do anything to protect the small boy in his mother's arms.

A knock at the door brought in the same throng of clan members that came to congratulate the parents when Itachi was born. The all exclaimed at how Sasuke would grow up to be just like his brother. They reveled in their happiness, thinking it would never end.

-3 months later-

Itachi was helping his mother feed Sasuke when a rumble shook their house to the foundations.

"What the…?" Mokoto exclaimed, looking around nervously.

Fugaku ran into the kitchen, a wild look on his face. "The Kyuubi, it's attacking the village," he said, breathlessly. He saw the shock on Makoto and Itachi's faces and said, "You'd better hide in the basement, they've called the fourth, but in case he fails…" he trailed off and began to run out of the room when Mokoto called him back.

"Fugaku, where are you going?" she said, nervously.

Fugaku paused, his hand resting on the door-frame. He turned back and kissed Mokoto, hugged Itachi, and ruffled Sasuke's minimal amount of hair. "I'm going to help the others, be back in bit, I promise."

Mokoto watched her husband leave the room. After he was gone she turned to her eldest son and said, "Let's go, then," then she picked up Sasuke, grabbed Itachi's hand, and left the room.

-The next day-

Itachi watched nervously as his father furiously paced the room while his mother packed their belongings. They had gotten the notice to move into a newly-created Uchiha "district" this morning, and Fugaku had flared up immediately after reading it. "I can't believe that Danzo bastard," he had shouted, "blaming US for the Kyuubi attack!" It took everything Mokoto had to calm her husband down and even after Fugaku had gone into a furious pacing of their living room. Despite his current quiet, Itachi didn't think his father would remain so for long.


	2. Chapter 2

**Age 7 **

"Congratulations, Itachi."

"That's my boy"

Itachi stood outside the ninja academy with his father, along with all the other graduates. He was the only seven-year-old there, however, and everyone else was twelve. He had excelled so much in academy classes that he was able to graduate after his first year. People were acknowledging him as a child prodigy nowadays.

The third Hokage approached him where he was standing, talking to his father and teacher. The Third knelt down and ruffled his long hair, "congratulations, Itachi, well done." He looked up at Fugaku and said, "I'd like to make an offer to your son, Fugaku, of which I think you'll approve."

"What is it Hokage-sama?" Fugaku had always kept a reserved air around the Hokage ever since he had received the moving notice.

"Well if Itachi approves, I would like him to start studying to join the ANBU this fall." The Hokage smiled, warmly at the graduate, "Would you like that?"

Itachi smiled broadly, "Yes I would, Hokage-sama! Thank you for the honor." He looked up at Fugaku, "father, may I?"

"Of course, Itachi, you'd be silly not to, this is a wonderful opportunity for you."Fugaku said, jovially. Not only that, but it will be great for the clan if you get accepted in to the black ops after your studies, he thought, darkly.

**Age 8 **(reference Shippuden episode 114)

I walked down the darkened academy hallways; I know where I'm going. Though I know I'm being followed, I don't stop or turn to drive them off. I need to confirm something, I need to see how far my powers have increased, I need to test the limits of my sharingan.

I activated my kekei genkai three days ago, though I kept to myself and started training in secret. I became so much stronger upon the activation, now was the time to really push myself, see how far I could really go.

I open the door marked "Advanced Training" and ignore the warning "Only for use by Instructors". The room was a sort of teachers' lounge, but instead of relaxing, it was for training. I walk in a see a solitary pedestal in the middle of the room, bound to it are thin cords that, if cut or disturbed in any way, would imbed me with the dozens of kunai stored in the projectile canons above.

I take a step back, I know that the one who followed me is watching, I don't care. I activate the sharingan and take two kunai out of my pocket. I launch them at the cords, severing them and initiating the traps. Though dozens of kunai were hurling toward me, I didn't move, I wouldn't until the time was right.

I had obviously startled the man who was watching, for he had burst into the room. However, as he did so, I jumped. I thought that I evaded most of the kunai, but then I suddenly became aware that more were coming from behind. I twisted, midair, and launched my own kunai to deflect the others. I landed for a split second on the rail lining the room's upper platform, then rebounded back as I detected more kunai heading my way. I launched myself above them and landed lightly on the pedestal, thus ending the exercise.

Though my back was to him, I knew who the man was. Orochimaru was stunned to see that I had survived. But then his shock turned into that cruel, greedy, smile that I never liked. I walked out the room, keeping my eyes forward and ignoring him. I wasn't afraid; I just never liked the man. I walked out of the room and back to my house, where my mother was making dinner. When I walked in Sasuke gave me his usual welcome, a hug around my legs (that's all he could reach). After dinner I went into the living room, where my father was waiting for me.

I sat in front of him on my knees, "Father?"

"What is it, Itachi?"

I opened my eyes and my father just stared. Then suddenly he picked me up and swung me around the room, laughing. My father hadn't laughed in a while, so it was a little shocking to hear him laugh now. "That's my boy!" he cried, hugging me to his chest, "My boy, the child-prodigy, activating the sharingan at only eight years!" he stuck his head out of the door-frame and called, "Mokoto, come see this!"

My mother entered the room and saw my face. She too smiled broadly and kissed me on the cheek, saying, "good job, Itachi."

My father sent me to bed after that, promising to start giving me formal training in the morning.

**Age 13 (part 1)**

Itachi entered his father's room, "you wanted to see me?"

Fugaku looked up, his face more serious than usual. "I have told you before, Itachi, about our clan's unfortunate history have I not?"

"Yes, sir, I do." Itachi knew the history of the clan all too well, for it was the source of his family's current situation. He thought that Madara, the Uchiha's first leader, had been rash and greedy. However, he would not share this with his father; he knew he would be severely punished for uttering any dissent against their sacred founder.

"I've decided to echo Madara's actions when he realized our clan was losing power to the Senju. However, unlike him, I plan to succeed."

"How do you intend to do that?" Itachi was utterly shocked, though he didn't let it show, he had trained to hide his emotions and he was a master of doing so. His father must be crazy! A military coup? Had he lost his mind, or had history gone to his head? No, of course his father was angry, the eviction notice, it must have sparked this. Itachi looked at his father, he would listen to what he had to say first, then he would decide what to do.

"It won't be too difficult," Fugaku said, waving his hand around, "We may have fewer numbers, but we far outrank the village in skills. Plus," Fugaku fixed his gaze on his son, folding his hands in front of him, "we have you."

"Me?" Itachi said, a little dumbfounded.

"Yes," Fugaku said, seriously, "You possess the most talent out of the entire clan and that will be a great asset once everything is prepared.

"What do you plan to do?" Itachi asked, still pretending that he supported this plan even though he was dead set against it.

Fugaku laughed, a cruel smile stretching across his face, "they'll never know what hit them. The villagers will go to sleep that night, and when they wake up… their precious Hokage and elders will be dead and they will be at our mercy."

Itachi was horrified, had his father even considered the inevitable outcome? Even if everything went smoothly and the clan gained control of Konoha, the villagers would still rebel against them. The inner turmoil would also give other countries the prime opportunity to attack as well. In short, not only would civil war ensue, but this action would lead to the thing Itachi feared most, a fourth Ninja War. After his previous experience, that was the last thing Itachi wanted to see. Suddenly another matter came into his mind.

"What about Sasuke? Does he know anything about this?"

Fugaku's smile faded, "No, that boy has a ton of potential and talent hidden within him, but he's not ready, he's too young. In time, after everything is settled, I'll explain to him the necessity of our actions. He'll come to accept it, just like you have."

"Right," Itachi lied.

"Itachi, you do realize that now it is imperative that you enter the ANBU Black Ops now. Through this you will become the pipeline to the village nerve center, you'll be able to get all kinds of information that will assist us."

"Yes, sir, I understand." After that Itachi left the room.


	3. Chapter 3

**Age 13 (part 2)**

It is night and the hour is late. There is no moon tonight, making it the ideal cover for any assassin. Two shinobi walked along the bank of Nagano River, neither of them speaking to each other. They stopped; the older one turned to the younger and said:

"This had better be quick, or we'll be late for the meeting."

Itachi looked at the youth standing before him. He was tall, about six-foot-three, with brown hair and startling blue eyes. He was about eighteen and someone Itachi respected greatly. He was like the older brother Itachi never had. These feelings… Itachi knew he had to cut them off; otherwise, they would make his mission even more painful. He turned to face the river, flowing below them.

"I'm sorry, Shisui-senpai, but I'm not going to the meeting, tonight." The teen said, not looking at Shisui.

The youth was taken aback, "What? After the argument you had with your father?"

Itachi nodded, remembering how his father's temper had flared when he announced that he could not attend this week's meeting. Fugaku held these meetings in order to discuss the plans for the Uchiha coup d'état. Itachi's presence was always needed as the info he held was necessary in order for the coup to go perfectly. Itachi sighed inwardly, this mission, there was no other way, he had to do it. He snapped backed to reality as he realized that Shisui was speaking.

"So you couldn't get out of the mission, huh?"

Itachi shook his head. He noticed that Shisui's expression was a little strange, almost eager. It was as if he expected Itachi to give him the details of the mission he had been assigned. His suspicions were confirmed when Shisui spoke again.

"So what do you have to do?"

Itachi looked Shisui directly in the eye. It was time; he took a deep breath and prepared for attack. The next thing Shisui knew, he was on his back at the edge of the riverbank, Itachi's knee in his gut and the teen's hand forcing his head into the ground.

"Let's just say, Shisui-senpai, that you will not be attending tonight's meeting, either."

"Wh-what…? Why're you…? Itachi what's gotten into you?!" Shisui stammered, he was running out of air. Itachi had moved his forehead protector down from his head and had tightened it around his throat. Shisui's eyes were already wide with shock, but they widened even further when he felt something wet his face.

Itachi was crying. As Shisui's vision began to darken as he slipped into unconsciousness, he became aware that Itachi was speaking as the tears ran slowly and profusely down the teen's grieved visage.

"I-I'm so sorry, Shisui-senpai," Itachi said, his voice broken and cracked with grief, "b-but I don't want to see, don't want Sasuke or anyone else in the village to see, the result of the clan's mistakes. A-and I will do anything to achieve that."

And thus, Shisui the teleporter, eyes still wide with shock and horror, disappeared beneath the surface of Nagano river, dead. His only mourner, that night, was a lone thirteen-year-old boy shaking with silent sobs on the bank of the river.

Itachi just sat there, unable to move. Shisui had been murdered over an hour ago, yet he couldn't bring himself to leave the spot where he, Uchiha Itachi, had murdered his best friend. The change that this mission was supposed to bring had already occurred within the poor teen. Itachi knew that he was much more powerful now that this had occurred, but he wished it had never happened. He wished so much that he was one sinking to the bottom of the river, not Shisui.

A rustle told Itachi that he was not alone. He quickly ducked behind a tree before the intruder had time to sense him. He needn't have bothered, though, a moment later revealed the third Hokage, flanked by the two elders, Homura and Koharu, and Danzo. Itachi relaxed and came out to meet the group. He bowed before speaking, using the short time to compose himself.

"Hokage-sama, the mission requested has been completed." He said, trying to be his usual formal self.

The Third did not speak. He approached Itachi and placed his hand on top of the teen's head. He knew Itachi would be traumatized after everything was over, but, after all, Itachi was the one who had insisted on this. Itachi needed an advantage in case things went awry and the Hokage had to result to the worst-case scenario, which, based on the progress made with opening negotiations between the clan and the Hokage, seemed very likely. The third had been extremely when, shortly after his inauguration into the ANBU, Itachi had requested a private audience with him in his office. During so he divulged the disturbing secret of the Uchiha coup. The Hokage was even more unnerved when Itachi offered to become a "double agent" and pass info on the Uchiha directly to him. When he had recovered from the shock, he became suspicious, and gave Itachi a stern gaze.

"Why are you telling me all of this, Itachi," he said, sternly, "I expected you to support your clan's actions."

Itachi shook his head, his face contorted with pain, "No, Hokage-sama, such a mistake at the hands of my clan would result, not only in civil war, but also in a fourth ninja war. That's something I never want to see again, nor is it something I want the village to experience after so many years of peace."

"Ah, yes, I remember, now. You experienced war at the age of four, didn't you?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama, I realized, even then, that war is hell. I would do anything to keep the peace of the village alive for as long as possible."

"Anything? Even annihilate your family? For you must realize that that will be the worst-case scenario in this situation."

Itachi nodded, "I said anything and I meant it, Hokage-sama."

The Hokage folded his hands in front of him, "Very well, but first we'll need to give you a large advantage over your clan."

"You mean…?" Itachi said, stunned.

"It's not the way I want to do things, Itachi, but we must prepare for the worst. I'm sorry, but seeing as your close to Shisui, you'll need to take him out in order to achieve the next state."

"Yes, Hokage-sama," Itachi said. Of course, he'd need the Mangekyo Sharingan in order to take out the military police, but taking out Shisui in order to do so was just so nerve-wracking. What had he gotten himself into?

Now as he stood on the bank of the river, he realized the horrible truth. He looked up at the Hokage.

"Hokage-sama? Why must you always sacrifice something in order to save something else?"

The Third pat him on the head, "even I don't know the answer to that question, Itachi."


	4. Chapter 4

**Important Update to All Readers**

So, I'm happily settled into college, and working hard to build my major and get through my classes. It is understandable, therefore, that finding time for writing fanfics is a little difficult. Even so, I do have a couple in the works -or reworks. I'm going to write/finish/finalize work for the following series: The Betrayal Knows My Name (because I haven't finished even one version yet), D Gray-Man (because I owe it to myself), Bleach (because I have a fun plot line I'd like to work with, and I've never actually gone very far with writing for Bleach before), and _maybe_ Naruto (if I can keep the idea in my head long enough). As per usual, these will all have some version of my OC Kai, and other OCs will play parts in these fics as well (expect repeat performances from the names Haru, Akira, and Ren). I would like to stress, though, that this is not for lack of creativity, but for lack of energy to create any more new characters, especially when I fear I might bring in OCs from my book. That's right, folks, I'm writing a fantasy novel (I mean it, an actual novel with its own original plot and everything -holy sh*t, right?) and it's taken priority over writing with other people's characters. Still, every author needs a break from her own creations, and I consider working with "stock characters" a good break. That's why I will keep writing fanfiction for now. I do plan to finish each of the aforementioned stories, but updates will be slower, and it will take longer to get them done. All I ask for is your patience, and for you all not to be too hard on my when I hang up the long-term fanfiction hat permanently, which I will do when I finish the fanfics I've promised. I say long-term, though, because I may come back with a few shonen-ai oneshots every once in a while.

The long-term fics I am writing are final drafts of the following already published stories (sorted by series):

_( D Gray-Man)_

In Memoriam

Bound by the Symbol of Kegare

Forced Forbearance

Give Me a Reason

_(Betrayal/Uraboku)_

It's Just a Looking Glass

Where Hell Is a Good Thing

_(Bleach)_

Faded

These are the working titles for the upcoming fics, along with the intended pairings (subject to change):

_(D Gray-Man) _

Life Worth Living- KandaxOC (Maybe, it could end up just a friendship between the two of them).

_(Betrayal/Uraboku) _

Black on Black- LuzexOC (I'm actually really excited for this one)

_(Bleach) _

Security- OCxOC (heterosexual); OCxOC (homosexual) (Another one I'm pumped for)

_(Naruto)_

Fine Line- GaaraxOC (again, I may not write this. The idea isn't fully formed yet and I'm not as invested in the series as I once was).

I've already said it, but I'll reiterate: these are FINAL DRAFTS. If I haven't already completed them, I will NOT be finishing any of the already published stories that the finals are based off of. For that matter, I will not be finishing any other incomplete fics either. I simply don't have the time or inspiration.

As always, I appreciate your support. I won't delete my account, nor will I delete any previously written fics, as they serve as a reminder of how much I've improved as a writer. I hope you all will appreciate the new work coming your way. Nothing makes an author happier than receive feedback on her work. Thank you again, and I hope you're all excited for what's to come.

Feel free to message me with any questions!

~H


	5. Chapter 5

Please go to my account profile and read what's there- IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.


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